BBC Gardeners World Live and RHS Britain in Bloom set to scour the Midlands for their Best Community

Thursday 21 February 2013

The search is on for the best community gardeners in the Midlands and BBC Gardeners’ World Live is calling on all communities to vote for your local favourite! If you have a group of local volunteer gardeners then make sure to nominate them or alternatively if you are part of a community gardening group that you think is worth recognition then nominate yourself.

Andrea Van Sittart, RHS Head of Regional Development, says “This is such a great initiative headed up by BBC Gardeners’ World Live and The RHS Flower Show Birmingham! Through our work with Britain in Bloom, we know there are some really inspiring community gardeners throughout the Midlands and it’s great to be focussing on the team and the people who work so hard to transform their communities through gardening.”

Steve Clark, Group Show Director, BBC Gardeners’ World Live, says... “This is a really exciting search for The Show to be undertaking in our 21st year and it’s great that we are working in partnership with RHS Britain in Bloom. There is such an abundance of great work going on in the community and I think it’s a great time to start recognising the volunteers and the people behind this work.”

The judging panel will be made up of experts from The RHS, BBC Gardeners’ World Live and RHS Britain in Bloom.
Judging will be based around four main criteria:
• Contribution to the community
• Teamwork
• Ability to inspire
• Horticultural achievements

The winners will receive a Greenhouse from The Greenhouse People worth over £1000 and £300 worth of seeds to help make their garden even more special plus tickets for them and their family to attend the Show.

Shortlisted groups will be announced on April 26. Shortlisted groups will be visited by members of the judging panel on their gardens and a winner will be announced on 19 May.

-Ends-

Notes to editors

BBC Gardeners’ World Live featuring RHS Flower Show Birmingham runs from 12-16 June at the NEC, Birmingham. It is promising to be one of the best days out this summer with expert advice, hundreds of exhibitors and of course demonstrations from members of the Gardeners’ World team. For more information on features and interviews please contact:

About RHS Britain in Bloom
RHS Britain in Bloom is the UK’s largest community gardening campaign, involving more than 300,000 people. As part of RHS Britain in Bloom – and its sister campaign, RHS It’s Your Neighbourhood – volunteers in cities, towns, villages, urban communities and neighbourhoods work together to improve their local environment, using gardening as a tool.
To find out more, visit: www.rhs.org.uk/communities

Get Involved Map
An online map enables volunteers to find and contact their local community gardening groups and schools registered with the RHS Campaign for School Gardening. There are thousands of opportunities to get involved with community gardening groups and schools around the UK. To search through more than 1,000 “in Bloom” groups, 1,100 Its Your Neighbourhood groups, 16,000 schools and 1,235 affiliated clubs and societies, visit: www.rhs.org.uk/getinvolved

About the RHS
The Royal Horticultural Society was founded in 1804 by Sir Joseph Banks and John Wedgwood for the encouragement and improvement of the science, art and practice of horticulture. We held our first flower shows in 1820, were granted a Royal Charter in 1861 and acquired RHS Garden Wisley, the first of our gardens, in 1903. From our first meetings in a small room off London’s Piccadilly, we have grown to become the world’s largest gardening charity.

Today the RHS is committed to providing a voice for all gardeners. We are driven by a simple love of plants and a belief that gardeners make the world a better place. 200 years on we continue to safeguard and advance the science, art and practice of horticulture, creating displays that inspire people to garden. In all aspects of our work we help gardeners develop by sharing our knowledge of plants, gardens and the environment.

RHS membership is for anyone with an interest in gardening. Support the RHS and secure a healthy future for gardening. For more information call: 0845 130 4646, or visit www.rhs.org.uk/join
RHS Registered Charity No. 222879/SC038262
BBC Good Food Shows are a joint venture between BBC Worldwide and Haymarket Exhibitions.

About BBC Worldwide Limited
BBC Worldwide Limited is the main commercial arm and a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The company exists to exploit the value of the BBC’s assets for the benefit of the licence fee payer and invest in public service programming in return for rights. The company has five core businesses: Channels, Content & Production, Sales & Distribution, Consumer Products and Global Brands. In 2011/12, BBC Worldwide generated headline profits of £155 million on headline sales of £1085 million and returned £216 million to the BBC. For more detailed performance information please see our Annual Review website: http://www.bbcworldwide.com/annualreview

About the RHS

The RHS believes that gardening improves the quality of life and that everyone should have access to great garden experiences. As a charity we help to bring gardening into people's lives and support gardeners of all levels and abilities; whether they are expert horticulturists or children who are planting seeds for the very first time.

RHS membership is for anyone with an interest in gardening. Support the RHS and secure a healthy future for gardening. For more information call: 0845 130 4646, or visit www.rhs.org.uk